"A form of paving, as for a path, made of slabs of stone of irregular shape fitted together."

Friday, 13 March 2015

Apple Watch

I am an Apple geek. Several years ago my Apple geek neighbour convinced me to switch to a Mac and I haven't looked back. I coveted an iPhone from the day they were introduced until I was finally able to get an iPhone 4 in 2011. Before that I filled the gap with an iPod Touch. I was an early iPad adopter, getting one within a few months of its launch. Since Apple announced the Apple Watch last autumn I have been in no doubt that I would want one. My only question was when, not if. After a bit of thought, I've decided I will be at the front of the queue!

Why? What makes me think an Apple Watch will be worth the money to me? I have two particular things I would want to get soon, Apple Watch or no: (1) A timepiece. My current watch is a cheap and cheerful one which I like, but which has an annoyingly dodgy clasp which falls open randomly. It is only a matter of time before I lose it. (2) A fitness band. I usually carry my phone around to measure my steps, but if I don't want to carry my phone for some reason or I don't have a pocket it messes up my step count. I would like to take fitness tracking further and seriously considered getting a Fitbit or Jawbone UP band. In the end I decided to hang out for a Watch.

Buying the cheapest Apple Watch will cost around double what I would pay for a replacement watch and a fitness band, but I think that extra money will be well worth spending for all the extra stuff I could do with a Watch. I have read a ton of reviews, which mostly seem positive but with an underlying refrain of "do we really need it?" Well of course, in terms of real need the answer is no, and the answer to "is it going to be useful" seems to be that the only way to tell will be to use it. Looking at what it does and the apps likely to be available from launch or shortly after, I can see a number of things I think I would use frequently:

- Telling the time (bit obvious, that one!)

- Step counter, which I expect to have slicker integration with the iPhone than another fitness band would.

- Taptic notificatons of texts and phone calls. I mostly keep my phone on silent and I'm terrible at noticing it vibrate even if it is in my pocket. If it is in my bag then I'm done for! An electronic tap on the wrist and a quick glance sounds a perfect way to pick up incoming calls or texts and decide whether to deal with them immediately or leave them until later.

- Setting reminders through Siri. I am not a huge fan of Siri as I don't seem to communicate well with it (!), but it is a quick and easy way to set reminders and timers. The ability to lift my wrist and say "Set reminder to ..." the instant something flits into my overcrowded brain sounds a godsend for my middle-aged, menopausal memory.

- Ditto timers.

- Sending short texts without having to get my phone out, with its attendant risks of distraction. I think it should be possible to text to say I am on the way home from work, or that I have arrived to collect a daughter from somewhere, with a couple of touches.

- Directions through taptic notifications. I hate walking along peering at my phone trying to work out where I am going. I presume this will only work for Apple's own map app, not for Google Maps, which is a bit of a nuisance as I am not a fan of Apple's maps, but I think it will still be very useful. Citymapper is going to have a Watch app, which will be a bonus whenever I am in London.

- Taptic reminders to drink water, and to get up from my desk and stretch my legs. I have tried doing this with my phone but it is too easy to miss or ignore.

Then I am sure there will be things which will be fun to play with for a while if not particularly useful, and lots of new apps will come along. All in all, I am pretty certain that I will get a lot of use out of it.

I did think hard about waiting for a while before taking the plunge. The second Apple Watch, whenever it appears, will certainly be better. As the first of a new line there may well be glitches with the original Watch. If there are major glitches or faults, I trust Apple enough to presume they will fix them. Minor glitches I can live with. Apple products hold their value pretty well, so if I want to upgrade in a year or so to a newer, better model, the resale value of a used Watch should mean it will be affordable. Also I know from experience that even the 1st generation products have a good lifespan. My 1st generation iPod Touch continued merrily along until a daughter lost it. My 1st generation iPad is still in daily use by Small Girl. Diving into Apple Watch as soon as it is available doesn't seem too much of a risk.

I just have one decision left to make. Do I settle for pre-ordering, or do I go and queue outside the Apple Store overnight? I am really not that impatient to get one, I just think it would be quite a fun thing to do. But then again, not the most comfortable way to spend a night and not conducive to sleep!

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Crazy Paving

Some of the oddly shaped, haphazard pieces that form the pattern of my life and the path that I walk ... archives, history, music, family, healthy eating, fitness, craziness, friends, laughter, faith. I am rarely bored, sometimes confused, often unfocused and talk too much.